Schumacher Tile & Stone

Some of the most beautiful homes in Idaho’s Treasure Valley and all over the Western United States have travertine floors in kitchens, dining rooms, bathrooms, and other areas.

Travertine is a sedimentary rock, namely calcite or aragonite (calcium carbonate), which is formed by mineral deposits when water travels through a limestone bed. As this water pushes through the limestone beds, it leaches some of the limestone to create voids, which is why travertine tile has holes. Usually these are filled, which can happen at the factory during processing or at the time of installation during the grouting process. Travertine can also be installed unfilled, if desired.

Aragonite and calcite are not particularly hard minerals. On the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, calcite is a 3. You can compare that to granite, which is composed of feldspar, quartz, and other minerals and lands about a 6 or 7 on the Mohs scale. Talc is lowest on the scale at 1, and diamond is currently highest at 10. The Mohs scale system rates materials by their scratch resistance; harder minerals will scratch softer minerals. The numbers only indicate which materials will scratch each other; the numbers themselves do not indicate how hard a material is. So, in conclusion, anything with a higher rating than calcite can scratch travertine. A human fingernail has a hardness of only 2.5, but a copper penny is about 3.5, and a knife blade around 5.5.

So you see it is very easy to determine that there are many household items that could possibly scratch the surface of a travertine tile floor. However, that is not necessarily a big problem when you’re considering your floor’s appearance. When selecting a travertine for a floor, the surface finish is more important. Polished surfaces will scratch and show any damage more clearly, as well as being less slip-resistant. Honed surfaces are better, but will still show deeper scratches. Brushed, antiqued, or tumbled finishes will still scratch but not show the damage as easily. These rougher surfaces also offer the best slip-resistance. It all goes back to light reflection – the smoother or glossier the surface, the easier the imperfections can be seen. A naturally tumbled or brushed travertine will absorb new scratches into its over-all appearance, and can take a lot of wear before anything is obvious. Travertine can also be re-finished to a like-new surface with the right equipment. It is, after all, natural stone clear through!

Comparing travertine to a manufactured porcelain tile, it’s important to realize that more care and maintenance is required to maintain the beauty of a travertine floor. Tile manufacturers have been trying a for long time to make products that look like natural stone, but it is very difficult to replicate the beauty of travertine, marble, granite, and other rocks. Porcelain also has the disadvantage that if it breaks or scratches, you cannot simply polish it back – most tiles have a colorant on the outside surface that does not permeate into the rest of the tile.

So if you’re considering a travertine floor for your kitchen, make sure to become educated on the maintenance required for up-keep, and work on eliminating potential ways that the floor can be damaged, scratched or stained. We’ll be happy to continue to answer your questions. Some of the first considerations for you are wet areas, pets, heavy traffic areas, and whether hard things are likely to be dropped from a height. Most of these can be worked with in one way or another. Some sealers provide not only stain resistance, but scratch resistance; travertine should always be sealed after installation.

There is nothing that can compare to the beauty of a stone floor anywhere you travel the world; whether it be Europe, the United States, or elsewhere, stone floors are everywhere; and some of these floors have been in place for hundreds of years. Manufactured porcelain tile may be durable – but will it look as warm and inviting as your natural stone travertine floor?

Roger Schumacher
Schumacher Tile & Stone

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• April 14, 2009 -- Definition: Travertine